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Ginemed celebrates its 9th Seminar on Male Factor Infertility in February

Experts in male infertility discuss the relationship between abnormal sperm and recurrent miscarriages.

Last month Ginemed held its 9th Seminar on Male Factor Infertility at Nisa Pardo de Aravaca Hospital in Madrid.

The event, which formed part of the University of Seville’s Master in Assisted Reproduction, was sponsored by the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF) and was attended by experts from the most important advanced Assisted Reproduction centres in Spain and abroad, as well as researchers from several universities: The Autonomous University of Madrid, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the University of Seville and the University of Oporto (Portugal).

One of the most heavily discussed topics was the role played by sperm in recurrent miscarriages. Although it was recently established that sperm DNA fragmentation is one of the major causes, new findings now show that genetic anomalies in sperm are also responsible for repeated miscarriages.

Now, male fertility –which up until recently had been forgotten– is becoming an increasingly more important part of the study of Human Reproduction. Outside of the scientific community, society in general is also becoming more aware of the importance held by the male factor in achieving a pregnancy.

Dr. Pascual Sánchez, medical director of Ginemed and co-director of the Masters programme, states that “it is important for males to start playing an active role when it comes to looking after their fertility –this is in addition to the treatment they are given when parenthood has not yet become a reality: they must watch their lifestyle habits and be conscious of the fact that their fertility is not unending as people used to say”.

In this regard, and as a result of one of the final projects for this Masters degree, the “Male Fertility Test” will soon be a reality: an application that aims to educate and inform the male population that infertility can be prevented by improving habits, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle and not delaying parenthood, among others.

Other topics discussed during the seminar included the impact of fruit and vegetable fertilisers on semen quality, the importance of genetic compatibility and the study of aneuploidies and epigenetic anomalies.